1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable deer hoists. In particular, the invention is directed to a deer hoist that can be mounted onto any available large tree or onto a pole for dressing a deer or other game animal on the spot.
2. Description of Related Art
Hunters find their prey in forests or wooded game preserves. It is generally desirable to dress game, such as deer, as soon as possible. In dressing game it is preferable to raise the carcass off of the ground. Although vehicle mounted deer hoists are known, vehicle mounted hoists usually require an open bed truck, and require that the carcass be transported to the vehicle, sometimes over a considerable distance. Free standing deer hoists typically have heavy base structures for stability, diminishing the advantage of portability. A deer hoist which is portable and can be quickly and easily mounted to any available tree or pole support would therefore be desirable. Several inventions have been proposed to address these problems.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,313, issued to Miller on Jul. 15, 1975, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,860,404, issued to Flachs on Aug. 29, 1989, teach a portable collapsible frame hoist for raising a slaughtered animal sufficiently above ground to prevent dogs and other animals from reaching the carcass.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,063, issued to York on Feb. 21, 1989, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,372, issued to Jones on Feb. 27, 1990, teach a vehicle-mounted animal hoist.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,110, issued to Owens on Sep. 17, 1991 teaches a portable game hoist in which a V-shaped structure is fastened to a tree and a pulley is used with a rope to raise the animal. However, the structure shown lacks the strengthening and stabilizing features of the present invention, e.g., the tree- or pole-supported winch in addition to a wider, more stable V-shaped blade.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,288,265, issued to Beason et al. on Feb. 22, 1994, teaches a hinged gambrel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,395,284, issued to Frish on Mar. 7, 1995, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,609, issued to Oldham on May 23, 1995, teach telescopic game hoists mounted on a horizontal tree limb or other overhanging structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,534, issued to McGough on Oct. 8, 1996, teaches a game hoist and skinning tool that straps onto a tree at three different positions and includes a tree-mounted winch.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,455, issued to Breedlove on Oct. 13, 1998, teaches a portable game hoist including a tree-penetrating blade, a chain for strapping the hoist to a tree, and a set of pulleys for raising the game carcass.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,776, issued to Klepac on Feb. 23, 1999, teaches an expanding gambrel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,521, issued to Jasek et al. on Aug. 17, 1999, teaches an adjustable gambrel.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,442, issued to Bounds on Apr. 4, 2000, teaches a heavy game hoist which is mounted onto a tree and includes a winch that is also tree-mounted.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,974, issued to Williams on May 16, 2000, teaches a portable tree-mounted game support.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,264,544, issued to Mullins on Jul. 24, 2001, teaches a game hanger used for weighing large animals.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
The present invention is directed to a deer hoist. More particularly, the deer hoist is portable and tree- or pole-mounted, and includes a winch for raising the deer carcass. The hoist is attached tightly to the tree or pole using a V-shaped fastening bar. A blade located at the bottom of the hoist rests against, and partially penetrates the tree or pole thereby preventing vertical slippage. The front tip of the hoist includes a pulley and a gambrel which holds the rear legs of the carcass of the animal being raised and dressed. In addition, the hoist and winch can be easily assembled for portability by placing the parts in an appropriate relationship and using a fastener that securely holds them together.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a portable tree- or pole-mounted deer hoist.
It is another object of the invention to provide a deer hoist as described above including horizontal, vertical and angled supporting braces.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a deer hoist as described above including a tree- or pole-mounted winch.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a deer hoist as described above that can be easily assembled for portability.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.